The Eldest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan Protects Her Family

Chapter 6: Mount Emei

 
Click.

The window of the palanquin opened slightly, and the strained voice of a guard drifted in. “Miss, the palanquin can’t proceed any further.”
Tang Sohwa nodded. She had already been informed of the lake ahead.
Stepping out, she saw a hunched figure.

“Noona, hop on.”
When she didn’t immediately comply, Tang Hak turned to look at her, wiggling his thick eyebrows and patting his back insistently. “You’ll ruin your shoes. From here on, I’ll carry you!”
… ‘What is wrong with this child?’ The heavy thoughts that had been weighing on her mind dissipated instantly.

Sighing inwardly, she asked, “…Hak-ah, do you know why the palanquin can’t go any further?”
“The path is treacherous! But I’m fine. Come on, Noona.”
His cheerful obliviousness left her feeling strangely empty-headed. It was an unpleasant sensation. Lately, she’d been thinking that perhaps distancing herself from him in her past life hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.

“That clueless boy is my clan’s heir? Ha, the Tang Clan is doomed.” Tang Min clicked his tongue from behind them. Tang Hak flinched and averted his gaze.
Splash.
The refreshing sound of water reached their ears. A small boat bobbed gently on the shore of a vast lake. The Black Tiger Unit warriors who had accompanied them had scouted ahead, securing a means of transport. They were searching for signs of habitation. If there was no way to cross the lake, then this gorge wasn't the right location, and they would have to turn back. The fact that they hadn’t indicated a need to retreat meant they had found a way across.

Everyone seemed to understand this unspoken message except Tang Hak.
Sohwa patted Tang Hak’s back and stepped aside. “Thank you for offering to carry me across the lake, but I’d rather not drown on your back.”
Tang Hak straightened, coughing awkwardly. “Ahem, I was wondering where Yoonjin had disappeared to. He must have gone to find a boat.”

Displeased with this observation, Tang Min muttered, “When we return, I need to have a serious discussion with Jiha about replacing the heir. We can just gather everyone during a meeting and beat some sense into him.”
He casually disparaged the Clan Head, an act of blatant insubordination, yet no one batted an eye. In fact, some even seemed intimidated.
“E-Elder Tang Min! Please don’t do that to Father! I’ll do better!”

The Mad Dog shook his head seriously. “What can you possibly do? If your martial arts are lacking, we can beat you into shape. But stupidity… there’s no cure for that.”
“You’re going to b-beat me?” Tang Hak’s eyes widened in alarm, and he instinctively shielded himself with his arms.
“…You’re really asking for it.”
Ignoring the bickering duo, Sohwa turned her gaze towards the gorge. A clear lake, nestled between steep mountain peaks, stretched before her. The cliffs surrounding the lake were indented, either artificially carved or the result of a landslide, creating a basin that collected the water from the mountain streams, forming a wide, lake-like expanse.

Thud.
Tang Min, who had silently approached her, spoke softly. “Many wanderers have searched for the Divine Physician’s troupe over the past half-century.”
Sohwa nodded slightly. Countless people, clinging to the hope of a miracle cure, had wasted their lives searching for the elusive troupe.

“If they still exist, as you claim, others may have found them before us. Perhaps they are even living amongst them.” He scratched his temple with the hilt of his throwing knife. “I’m not incapable of protecting you brats… but are you sure about this? We’ve roughly pinpointed the location. Wouldn't it be better to inform Jiha, I mean, the Clan Head, and bring the rest of the Black Tiger Unit?”
Sohwa shook her head.
The Black Tiger Unit was one of the Tang Clan's specialized martial arts units, skilled in stealth and assassination.

The group accompanying them now wasn't the entire unit. With the unit leader absent, only ten elite warriors, including the deputy leader, had been dispatched.
Even this small contingent felt excessive to Sohwa, who had hoped for a discreet visit with Tang Min. Her father, of course, had disagreed. He hadn't believed the Divine Physician’s troupe existed, let alone resided on Mount Emei. He found it absurd that she would place her faith in a message found inside a bamboo tube.
Tang Min, however, usually indulged her requests, and Mount Emei was practically his backyard, having lived in Sichuan for nearly a century. So, he readily agreed to accompany her. That was the difference between Tang Jiha, the Clan Head, and Tang Min, the Elder.

Perhaps that was why no one had objected when Tang Min stepped down as heir apparent decades ago.
Sohwa understood their ancestors' decision. Though she appreciated his unwavering support, his unquestioning faith was also unsettling. The evidence she had presented – a list of unusual medicinal herbs – wasn't exactly compelling.
She had lied about the bamboo tube and the note. She had fabricated a list of medicinal herbs and a separate note with a cryptic message. The message was actually a secret code shared only between Namgung Hyeon and Yeon-a, a phrase from her previous life. The list of herbs was entirely her invention.

While known for their poisons and hidden weapons, the Sichuan Tang Clan was also renowned for its medical expertise. The Tang Clan medical pavilion housed not only their own secret texts but also numerous medical books collected from outside sources, including records of the Divine Physician's troupe.
The Divine Physician, strangely, had maintained a brewery and an apiary within her residence. Not out of personal preference for alcohol or honey, but for their medicinal properties.
The distilled liquor produced by the Divine Physician was said to be incredibly potent, almost unbearable to swallow. She used it liberally when operating on patients, pouring it over wounds like water and applying it to affected areas every half-hour, almost like a healing balm. She was also particularly interested in propolis, a resinous substance produced by bees to strengthen their hives, even more so than honey. She would grind the scarce propolis into a powder and feed it to her patients. When they found the taste too repulsive, she mixed it with expensive honey.

Despite these extravagant practices, the Divine Physician had not only avoided financial ruin but had expanded her operations, establishing the Divine Physician's troupe. Her medical skills must have been truly extraordinary.
Tang Sohwa had claimed that the note, containing a list of medicinal herbs, was a clue to the Divine Physician's methods because it requested both yeast starter and propolis, an unusual combination.
Both the Clan Head and the Elder possessed basic medical knowledge, but they weren't experts. They were unaware of the lost healing arts of the Divine Physician.

Elder Tang Min, without verifying her claims, had agreed to search for the troupe. The Clan Head, without even considering the possibility, had ordered her to discard the note.
Extreme faith and extreme skepticism. The two elders, with their opposing natures, had clashed over the existence of the Divine Physician’s troupe. Caught in the crossfire, Sohwa had felt like she had aged a decade.
- Look, the child can tell a little white lie. Why are you being so harsh?

- Lies are unacceptable, Elder Tang Min.
Her father had responded to the Elder's sarcasm with a smile. Besides, which member of the Tang Clan would dare lie to the Clan Head? They know the severity of our laws.
According to Tang Clan law, the punishment for disrespecting the Clan Head was execution.

Unfazed by this reminder, Elder Tang Min had clicked his tongue. - If a child who doesn't normally lie suddenly does, shouldn't you consider the possibility that there’s a reason and give them the benefit of the doubt? That way, if something happens, they will report it quickly and prevent a bigger disaster. Tsk tsk, this is why the Young Master runs and hides whenever he sees your face. What good are your leadership skills if you fail at raising your own children?
A chill had run down Sohwa’s spine. The air around them had grown frigid, as if her father had suddenly mastered ice-based internal energy.
He then smiled, looking at Elder Tang Min. I’m surprised someone so knowledgeable about raising children is still single at your age. Ah, but of course, children aren't made alone.

“…” The objects around Tang Min had levitated slightly. But Tang Jiha simply sipped his tea, feigning ignorance.
Caught between them, Tang Sohwa had briefly considered abandoning the entire endeavor. The atmosphere was that tense.
Unable to bear the suffocating tension, she had finally interjected. Why do you assume I’m lying?

She had feigned hurt feelings. If you’re so concerned about the truth, why not ask the Head Physician to verify my claims?
Despite fabricating the entire scenario, she had acted as if only the content of the note was in question. Her audacity had been so convincing that both Tang Min and Tang Jiha had summoned the Head Physician to confirm the information.
The Head Physician had corroborated her story. Naturally. Everything Tang Sohwa "knew" about the Divine Physician’s troupe came from his own lectures.

‘My lady, we are not divine physicians. We cannot afford to be so frivolous with our precious herbs. While the Tang Clan’s wealth is immeasurable, so too are the mouths we must feed. We must value the resources of the medical pavilion. This is our small contribution to the clan’s prosperity.’
It was a lecture she had heard countless times whenever requesting medicinal herbs.
The Clan Head could no longer refuse Tang Min's request to investigate.

Still clinging to his pride, he had proposed sending the Young Master in Sohwa's place.
Sending the heir apparent to a potentially dangerous location after forbidding his daughter from going?
Tang Min had been puzzled, but the Clan Head had immediately summoned Tang Hak and ordered him to accompany the Elder. Tang Hak, quickly grasping the situation, had agreed readily, relieved to be going in his sister’s stead. Even the terrifying Tang Min was preferable to facing his father's wrath.

Seeing this, Sohwa had intervened, expressing her hurt feelings at their lack of trust, questioning the point of her martial arts training if they wouldn't even allow her to use it. Finally, the Clan Head relented, but with conditions: She would be accompanied by his personal guard, the Black Tiger Unit. She would send updates via carrier pigeon every hour. A chef and ample provisions would be provided to ensure she didn't miss any meals.
Tang Min had nearly throttled the Clan Head, protesting the ridiculous demands, complaining about being forced into babysitting.
Remembering the chaotic scene, Sohwa massaged her temples. She finally understood why their ancestors had capped the repayment of kindness at twice the original amount. If they had demanded tenfold repayment for every kindness, half the clan would have abandoned the Tang name.

Repaying kindness was far more arduous than she had anticipated.
In the end, she was accompanied by ten elite warriors from the Black Tiger Unit, led by the deputy leader, along with Tang Min and Tang Hak.
Though forced to comply with her father’s demands, she still felt burdened by their presence.

She shook her head, declining Tang Min’s suggestion to bring the rest of the unit. “Bringing the main force would attract unwanted attention. There are many perceptive individuals on Mount Emei. It could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.”
The Emei Sect resided on Mount Emei. Alerting them to their presence would be problematic. Anyone would be wary of a heavily armed group entering their territory.
However, she wasn't willing to reveal their true purpose, the search for the Divine Physician's troupe. Even within the Martial Alliance, there was no need to share information unless it posed a threat to the central plains. The Divine Physician, in these peaceful times, wasn’t a threat to the established order. Unless a demonic being like the Heavenly Demon or the Blood Demon emerged, disrupting the peace, the Divine Physician was inconsequential.

Tang Min nodded in agreement. “Indeed. We’ve done all the work. We can’t let those lazy Taoists reap the rewards.”
They couldn't possibly hand over the opportunity to form a connection with the Divine Physician to some other sect, content to laze around in the mountains. It would be infuriating to do all the hard work only to have another sect swoop in and claim the prize. Tang Min, true to form, voiced his greedy thoughts. Sohwa smiled and continued, “And there’s another reason.”